A handbook for language teachers who would like to develop their own reading materials or enrich a reading course.

"Reading fluency drills improve reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension, as well as writing skills. This system can be used with an adult working with a single student, and adult and a small reading group, or even by an older student or adult on their own."--Page [i].

Pictures, words, and sentences that focus on the letters of the alphabet. Pre-reading skills.

While most children learn to read fairly well, there remain many young Americans whose futures are imperiled because they do not read well enough to meet the demands of our competitive, technology-driven society. This book explores the problem within the context of social, historical, cultural, and biological factors. Recommendations address the identification of groups of children at risk, effective instruction for the preschool and early grades, effective approaches to dialects and bilingualism, the importance of these findings for the professional development of teachers, and gaps that remain in our understanding of how children learn to read. Implications for parents, teachers, schools, communities, the media, and government at all levels are discussed. The book examines the epidemiology of reading problems and introduces the concepts used by experts in the field. In a clear and readable narrative, word identification, comprehension, and other processes in normal reading development are discussed. Against the background of normal progress, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children examines factors that put children at risk of poor reading. It explores in detail how literacy can be fostered from birth through kindergarten and the primary grades, including evaluation of philosophies, systems, and materials commonly used to teach reading.

This book is for anyone who wants to provide their learners with rich and rewarding reading experiences. Drawing on current reading theory, the book promotes the teaching of reading in a theoretically sound way, moving beyond a comprehension-testing approach to reading. The practical part of the book provides a collection of accessible, generic activities so that teachers can support and develop learners' reading skills and strategies. Its scope is wide-ranging, from promoting reading and developing fluency, to exploiting digital sources, using learner-generated texts and assessing reading. Further activities support teachers develop excellence in the teaching of reading through guided reflection and action research.

Carefully explains and illustrates ten key reading skills that are widely recognized to be essential for literal and critical comprehension. Provides activities and reading selections to help you practice and master those skills.

Designed for reading courses at the intermediate and advanced level, Developing Critical Reading Skills uses practice prose similar to the kind that students will encounter in the classroom, encouraging them to analyze, interpret, question, and even challenge the words of the writer. The seventh edition continues to feature a wide range of interesting and diverse selections, excellent coverage of critical reading skills, and a concluding section on reading short stories. It now also includes coverage of reading textbooks and interpreting visuals.